Eric Tetler, a graduate of the Springfield College sports management program, has served as the president of Windfield Alloy in Atkinson, New Hampshire, since establishing the company in 1994. Outside of his professional commitments, Eric Tetler enjoys playing and coaching soccer.

With just 17 official rules, soccer is one of the most straightforward of the world’s major sports. However, rule 11, commonly known as the offside rule, causes a great deal of confusion among new players as well as casual viewers. The offside rule was developed to prevent players from lingering around the opponent’s goal and waiting for the ball to be kicked downfield for an easy score.

Simply put, a player in an offensive position cannot take part in the play unless two defenders stand between the attacker and the goal. Players can occupy an offside position as long as the ball is not passed to them. It should also be noted that a player can only be called offside on the opponent’s half of the field. Furthermore, players will not be called offside if they are even with the last defender.

Author

Since 2007, Eric Tetler has served as president of Windfield Alloy, an environmentally conscious recycling business in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He first joined the company in 1994, and 13 years later, he became its majority shareholder.